When you purchase a personalised registration plate, the DVLA will issue you with a V750 Certificate of Entitlement. This records details of the person who purchased the plate, along with those of any nominated person. Only the people mentioned on the V750 can have this plate assigned to a vehicle of which they are the registered keeper.

Receipt of the V750, does not mean that the personalised plate has to be put straight onto a vehicle, the certificate allows you twelve months to take that step and the actual expiry date is shown on the document. If you are still not ready to assign the plate when the expiry date is nearing, you are able to extend the entitlement period for up to three years, at a charge of £25 per year. You can do this on the DVLA website or by signing section 2 of the V750 and sending this to the DVLA, along with a cheque to cover the fees.

Applications to extend the entitlement period must be made prior to the expiration date. Postal applications can be made within 28 days of expiry, while there is only a fourteen-day window for online applications. If you forget to extend your entitlement, you can send a letter to the DVLA explaining the reasons for the late application and enclosing the appropriate fee. The DVLA will then consider your application and respond to you accordingly.

If you lose your V750 you can apply for a free duplicate providing there are at least five days entitlement remaining.